BRAZIL

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President

(pronounced "loo-ESE ee-NAY-thee-oh LOO-la dah SEEL-vah")

"More than ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are
other walls that divide those who eat from those who are hungry, those
who have jobs from the unemployed, those who live with dignity from
those living in the streets."

The Federative Republic of Brazil dominates the South American continent,
encompassing 8.5 million sq km (3.29 million sq mi), which represents 40%
of the continental land mass. Brazil is bounded to the east and northeast
by the Atlantic Ocean; to the north by French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana,
and Venezuela; to the west by Colombia and Peru; to the southwest by
Bolivia and Paraguay; and to the south by Argentina and Uruguay.

Home to more than 176 million people (2002 estimate), Brazil is the sixth
most populous country in the world. The population comprises four major
groups: those of Portuguese descent, whose ancestors colonized Brazil
beginning in the 16th century; descendants of Africans who were brought as
slaves to Brazil; Europeans and Asians who began emigrating in the
mid-nineteenth century; and indigenous peoples, primarily of Tupi and
Guarani language groups. The national language is Portuguese. More than
80% of Brazilians profess the Roman Catholic faith; others belong to
Protestant sects or practice spiritualism.

The unit of currency is the
real
. The Brazilian economy is diverse and export oriented. Economic expansion
occurred at an annual rate of 1.5% in 2001, down from 4.5% in 2000.
Inflation was 7.4% in 2001 and 10.9% in 2002. Unemployment stood at 6.2%
in 2001 and 7.3% in 2002, with a large segment of the population being
employed in the informal sector.